Macro benthic community assemblage before and after the 2007 Tsunami and Earthquake at Paracas Bay, Peru

LOMOVASKY BETINA JUDITH,; FIRSTATER F.N.,; GAMARRA A.; MENDO, J.; IRIBARNE OSCAR

JOURNAL OF SEA RESEARCH

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2011 vol. 65 p. 205 - 212

1385-1101

Macrobenthic soft bottom community assemblages were studied from December 2006 to December 2007 at Paracas Bay (Atenas beach, 13°45 S, 76°17 W, Peru) including in this period the Tsunami of 15 August 2007, providing a unique opportunity to assess the effects of this type of natural disturbance in soft bottom marine ecosystems. The results show that the Tsunami event affected the soft bottom community assemblage by changing the sediment granulometry increasing the silt proportion, biomass and abundance of epifaunal species and affecting all functional groups, showing an increase of filter feeder and grazers, following by predators during the post-Tsunami period. Similar pattern was observed on biomass and abundance of infaunal species assemblages, without changing the functional groups. There was a slow recovery after four months likely related to the lost of sediment stability. In summary, there were differences in the structure and composition of soft bottom macrofaunal assemblages before and after the Earthquake and posterior Tsunami disturbance, forcing benthic communities to start re-colonization processes.